The present invention relates to a dubbing apparatus and a dubbing method. More particularly, the invention relates to a dubbing apparatus and a dubbing method designed for copyright protection using functions to manage program data to be dubbed.
In recent years, CD players for playing back CDs (compact discs; registered trademark) have come into general use. Concurrently gaining widespread acceptance are disc media such as Mini-disc (MD; registered trademark) to and from which audio data are recorded and reproduced, as well as recording and reproducing apparatuses for handling such disc media. Today, audio systems combining an MD recorder/player addressing the MD with a CD player are receiving widespread use.
The MD recorder/player, CD player, and systems combining these devices manage audio data in units of so-called programs. In this specification, a program refers to a group of data recorded and managed as a data unit on the disc. Illustratively, one piece of music (generally known as a track) represents one program of audio data. In the description that follows, the words xe2x80x9cprogramsxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ctracksxe2x80x9d will be used interchangeably.
Audio systems of the above-described type are generally capable of what is known as dubbing recording, i.e., a procedure for recording audio data reproduced by a CD player onto an MD in an MD recorder/player. Some systems are designed to offer so-called high-speed dubbing so as to shorten the time of dubbing recording.
In high-speed dubbing mode, the CD player controls its disc drive control portion and its reproduced signal processing portion in such a manner as to reproduce data from a CD at a predetermined multiple-fold speed, i.e., a speed multiplying the standard speed by a predetermined value. On the side of the MD recorder/player, its recording circuit portion is controlled to operate in keeping with the multiple-fold playback speed for the CD in question so as to receive audio data from the CD player for recording onto an MD.
Illustratively, for equipment combining a CD player (reproducing apparatus) integrally with an MD recorder/player (recording apparatus), it is easy to control the two devices concurrently at the predetermined multiple-fold speed for high-speed dubbing. If the recording apparatus is physically separated from the recording apparatus, the two may still be connected via a control cable or the like for interactive communication therebetween, whereby operation of the two devices is readily controlled in synchronism for high-speed dubbing.
The act of dubbing involves duplicating copyrighted materials such as pieces of music and is thus regarded by those concerned as detrimental to copyright holders"" benefits. From their point of view, dubbing is an act that should be discouraged and if possible prohibited.
The fact is that there is widespread practice of dubbing at speeds higher than the standard speed. That means there have been trends toward greater numbers of pieces of music (tracks) dubbed per unit time at higher speeds than at the standard speed.
Suppose that a user copies one CD or one of the pieces of music (tracks) on the CD onto MDs which are so numerous that they exceed the reasonably expected range of personal use, and that the user sells the multiplied MDs containing the same contents to third parties. This is a violation of copyrights.
In that case, if the user employs a high-speed dubbing function to copy pieces of music (tracks) to MDs at a higher speed, the MDs will be prepared more efficiently than if the copying is done at the standard speed. That is, the high-speed dubbing function can encourage the infringement of copyrights.
Under such circumstances, a standard called HCMS (High-speed Copy Management System) has been proposed. HCMS stipulates that when digital sound sources such as a CD are recorded at high speed to media such as MDs, any one track (piece of music) once dubbed at high speed is to be inhibited from being dubbed again at high speed for at least 74 minutes starting from the time the track in question began to be dubbed at high speed. The high-speed dubbing inhibited time is set for 74 minutes because the maximum playback time of a CD is nominally 74 minutes. In other words, high-speed dubbing is suppressed during the period of time required normally to play back an entire CD. This measure is designed to keep the efficiency of dubbing per track substantially the same as in standard-speed dubbing.
HCMS-compatible apparatuses are structured to ensure that any one track, once dubbed at high speed, will not be dubbed again at high speed within 74 minutes of the point in time at which the track in question began to be dubbed. One such HCMS-compatible apparatus proposed by this applicant is incorporated by reference in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/520,116 filed on Mar. 6, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,022.
FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are explanatory views showing how data reproduced from a CD are recorded to an MD at high speed. FIG. 1A indicates a remaining recordable time of the MD, i.e., the recordable capacity of the MD expressed in temporal terms. FIG. 1B depicts typical recorded contents of a CD which is a source of recording. In this example, at least seven tracks Tr1 through Tr7, etc., are shown recorded on the CD.
It is assumed that the CD in FIG. 1B is played back in ascending order of track numbers starting from track Tr1 and that the reproduced data are recorded at high speed to the MD shown in FIG. 1A.
As illustrated in FIG. 1A, the remaining recordable time of the MD corresponds to the total playback time of tracks Tr1 through Tr5 plus the time it takes to reproduce data halfway through the next track Tr6 on the CD.
When the recording is allowed to proceed until the recordable time of the MD is exhausted, each of the tracks Tr1 through Tr5 among those in FIG. 1B is fully recorded from start position to end position whereas the track Tr6 is recorded only up to a halfway position.
As a result, under HCMS provisions, the tracks Tr1 through Tr6 are subject to HCMS management as shown in the lower part of FIG. 1B. That is, the tracks Tr1 through Tr5 each fully accommodated by the MD are inhibited from getting dubbed again at high speed for at least 74 minutes from the time each track began to be recorded. The track Tr6, a part of which has been recorded, is also subject to HCMS management. As shown schematically in FIG. 1C, the track Tr6 applicable to HCMS management is inhibited from getting recorded onto a newly loaded MD at high speed for the next 74 minutes.
When, according to HCMS requirements, the partially recorded track Tr6 is also subject to HCMS management as shown in FIG. 1B, some inconveniences are bound to result as will be described below with reference to FIG. 2A through 2C and 3A through 3C.
FIG. 2A shows part of the same recorded contents of the CD as those shown in FIG. 1B. FIG. 2B schematically depicts MD-1, i.e., part of the same MD shown in FIG. 1A.
Suppose that the data reproduced from the CD are recorded at high speed to MD-1 as in the case of FIG. 1A. In that case, the recordable capacity of MD-1 is exhausted and the recording comes to an end when the track Tr6 has been partially recorded.
Suppose now that the user wants to record the unrecorded portion of the CD shown in FIG. 2A to another MD within a relatively short time following the just-ended recording operation. Frequently such eventualities can occur in which the contents of one CD are desired to be recorded to a plurality of MDs.
In the situation depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, for example, the partially recorded track Tr6 is an extra on MD-1, i.e., a portion not really necessary on that particular MD from the user""s point of view. Usually the user wants to record the track Tr6 in its entirety from the start position to a new MD at high speed.
However, having been partially recorded to MD-1, the track Tr6 is now inhibited from getting recorded again soon afterwards at high speed under HCMS management. That means it is prohibited to record the track Tr6 from its start position to MD-2 (a new MD) at high speed within a predetermined period of time (74 minutes) after the recording to MD-1, as depicted in FIG. 2C.
The MD recorder/player is designed to accumulate recordable data temporarily in its buffer memory before writing the data to an MD. That design permits so-called seamless recording whereby a group of recordable data is recorded in a seamless, uninterrupted manner to a plurality of MD""s. A scheme of such seamless recording proposed by this applicant is incorporated by reference in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/315,235 filed May 20, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,088. To carry out seamless recording requires the use of a changer type MD recorder capable of accommodating a plurality of MDs and loading them one by one for recording.
FIGS. 3A through 3C indicate an example of seamless recording. FIGS. 3A and 3B show how high-speed dubbing is performed in the same manner as in FIGS. 2A and 2B. That is, the recordable capacity of MD-1 has been used up with track Tr6 on the CD partially recorded.
Illustratively, suppose that the recording of data to MD-1 has ended as shown in FIG. 3B. With seamless recording in effect, recording of data to the next disc MD-2 begins from the position next to the end position of track Tr6 on MD-1, as depicted in FIG. 3C.
According to HCMS provisions, if transition from MD-1 to MD-2 is regarded as resumption of the current recording operation, the track Tr6 is barred from getting dubbed at high speed because the track Tr6 was already subject to HCMS management when its recording began on MD-1. In such a case, it is impossible to continue seamless recording of the interrupted contents from one MD to another at high speed.
As outlined above, high-speed dubbing under HCMS provisions can result in some inconveniences particularly when stored contents of one CD are recorded to a plurality of MDs. That is, any one track becomes subject to HCMS management even it has been recorded only partially on one MD in high-speed mode. It is impossible to dub the track in question soon afterwards to a new MD at high speed.
The injunction is unreasonable from the user""s point of view. The benefits of the dubbing function appear to be restricted more than is reasonably deemed necessary.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the above and other deficiencies of the prior art and to provide, with copyright protection duly taken into account, a dubbing apparatus and a dubbing method for averting cases of inconveniences in which, when one recordable source is to be recorded to two storage media, any program (track) partially recorded earlier on one storage medium is barred from being dubbed soon afterwards to the next storage medium.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a dubbing apparatus for dubbing, at a predetermined speed higher than a standard dubbing speed, programs reproduced from a first storage medium serving as a dubbing source onto a second storage medium acting as a dubbing destination, the first storage medium including a program area and a management area, the program area having a plurality of programs recorded therein, the management area retaining management information for managing the programs stored in the program area, the dubbing apparatus comprising: a comparing element for comparing a total amount of data constituting programs to be dubbed at the higher speed among the plurality of programs recorded on the dubbing source first storage medium, with a recordable capacity of the dubbing destination second storage medium; a recording controlling element which, if the comparing element judges that the total amount of the data constituting the programs to be dubbed from the dubbing source first storage medium is greater than the recordable capacity of the dubbing destination second storage medium, then dubs at the higher speed at least the programs that are recordable each in its entirety onto the dubbing destination second storage medium within the recordable capacity thereof; and a storing element for storing a disable flag and an enable flag, the disable flag inhibiting for a predetermined period of time a new session of dubbing at the higher speed of each of the programs that have been recorded each in its entirety at the higher speed onto the dubbing destination second storage medium, the enable flag allowing a program not accommodated in its entirety by the dubbing destination second storage medium to be dubbed consecutively at the higher speed.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a dubbing method for dubbing, at a predetermined speed higher than a standard dubbing speed, programs reproduced from a first storage medium serving as a dubbing source onto a second storage medium acting as a dubbing destination, the first storage medium including a program area and a management area, the program area having a plurality of programs recorded therein, the management area retaining management information for managing the programs stored in the program area, the dubbing method comprising the steps of: comparing a total amount of data constituting programs to be dubbed at the higher speed among the plurality of programs recorded on the dubbing source first storage medium, with a recordable capacity of the dubbing destination second storage medium; if the total amount of the data constituting the programs to be dubbed from the dubbing source first storage medium is judged to be greater than the recordable capacity of the dubbing destination second storage medium, then dubbing at the higher speed at least the programs that are recordable each in its entirety onto the dubbing destination second storage medium within the recordable capacity thereof; and storing a disable flag and an enable flag, the disable flag inhibiting for a predetermined period of time a new session of dubbing at the higher speed of each of the programs that have been recorded each in its entirety at the higher speed onto the dubbing destination second storage medium, the enable flag allowing a program not accommodated in its entirety by the dubbing destination second storage medium to be dubbed consecutively at the higher speed.